“The media has as much power as you allow it to have”

In today’s society, whenever we hear something that is hard to believe, our first instinct is to grab our smart phones and look it up on Google. We are all curious and want to know whether it’s true or not. However, not everything posted on the Internet is true.

We talked about the media’s influence on people in one of my classes. One of my classmates blamed the media that the general public isn’t educated on matters going on in our world because the media doesn’t provide people with credible facts. As I heard this comment, I paused and thought about it for a minute.

I immediately about the times I’ve written for the school paper, The Olympian. At The Olympian, we emphasize publishing only true facts. Every time I write an article, I think about my writing because I want the students at CVHS to have factual information. Credibility is important to us at The Olympian and for most of the media too.

The media’s general job is to inform the public with facts and to help individuals be more aware of what’s going on in and around their communities.

Major media sources have biases on what they are reporting and they have the power to influence the way people view things. We have to recognize that this isn’t just the case with media, but it’s the case with everything else too. The way a teacher expresses events in history, the music we listen to, and the television shows we watch all are biased and have the power to influence us.

The media can say and report what it wants to, and that’s just the way it is. We all need to realize that many elements play a part in shaping the way we think. It’s completely unreasonable to blame a certain source for people being wrong and uninformed.

The media is responsible for giving true facts, but in the end, it’s up to them whether or not they want to be a credible source. People will always be curious and tune in to see what different news stations think about certain events. However, it’s the public’s responsibility to make sure that the information given is true.

One of the biggest problems in our society is that things can quickly go viral. At that very moment, they don’t hesitate to look things up on Google and spread false information. Those who are truly upset with the way the media is reporting on things and getting information out need to be responsible for the way they use the information and from where they receive it.

It’s sad to see people blame others for things that can only be changed by themselves. With everyone wanting to know about what’s going on quickly, the media has this pressure to be the first to report on a story and get all the facts before anyone else does. Sadly, the correct facts aren’t always the ones that are given first.

One of my classmates said, “The media has as much power as you allow it to have.”

This statement is just perfect. I suppose in a way I am like the media, giving you my bias on the debate, but in the end, the one who chooses to believe what I’m saying or not is you, the reader.